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It’s Day 4 of Nanowrimo and I’m a day ahead on the 1,600-word daily target. I’m hoping to have three days of leeway just in case I get too busy during the FPA conference in Hobart and, of course, if I could, I would rather go hiking while I’m there as it’s my first time in Tas.

About nanowrimo and the process of writing, I’m not sure if I’ve been looking for signs or the signs are coming to me. There are sources of inspiration everywhere. I laughed when I passed by Lorraine Pattiserie near The Ivy, having found out that my French ancestors originated from Lorraine and my first generation character is a son of a pattiserie owner. What a coinkidink!

It’s the first day of National Novel Writing Month. It’s a global initiative where aspiring novelists are encouraged to write 50,000 words for 30 days (or 1,900 words per day).

I don’t have time to write a novel so I am just going to force this into my schedule, finding that one hour and a half a day to write the minimum word count target each day.

And I did it – 1,800 words today! My book idea is a historical fiction centred on several generations of the Baltazars. 😀 It’s most definitely fiction but inspired by my dad’s family history from the 1800s to late 1900s. I haven’t decided yet where the story will end. For structure, I am looking at the following novels: Roots: The Saga of An American Family, Forrest Gump, One Hundred Years of Solitude and The Shipping News.

If I’m going to be honest with myself, I just know that there’s no way I’d ever find time to write a novel. It’s just not going to happen. Luckily, Nanowrimo has been persistent. I received an email two months ago about potentially participating so I thought I’d do 30 days of blogging in October as a practice run. Now that I achieved that, I think I’ve got a chance!

So for some reason I skipped a day of blogging and I don’t know why or how. Only that it may have coincided with the time I had to go to the Gold Coast for a work conference. So I was writing this today as I brainstorm the story idea I wanted to write about for Nanowrimo. I do love this idea of making up what life after death looks like. It makes it less scarier that way. I’m also trying to find ways I could introduce death in the part of the novel talking about my character’s death. Anywho, this was what I got up to.

The best part of the writing process is the first draft. It’s the closest you can get to the writer’s mind in its raw state. Without the trimmings and the technical polish. As a writer, it’s the moment you enjoy an adrenaline rush. No hunger, no thirst, no joy, no pain. Only the superhuman energy to write a thousand words or more in one sitting.

We started with a prayer and we ended with a prayer. Today, 60 people gathered at Sizzling Fillo to decide the fate of 260,000 Filipinos. To be united or not to be united, that is the question.

The drama unfolded back in 2010 when a group of people decided to set up a new association outside of PCC-NSW (the umbrella association representing Filipinos in NSW). Almost 8 years later, the splinter group – APCO – has grown into an extremely capable and successfull organisation while PCC-NSW has continued on its mandate, albeit arguably, not as successful in reaching out to the mainstream as APCO has since its inception.

Tonight I went to a fundraiser for the Genome Integrity Unit in Westmead. I love it when a word is used correctly. Integrity in your genes is super important!

It got me thinking of my sliding doors moment. What would my life be today had I pursued a career in Science. Women in STEM is the new black these days. Would I have pursued a life of research or would I have struck gold and discovered some breakthrough technology?

I chose the restaurant because of its name. Penny at One Penny Red. Little did I know that it’s also one of Penny’s favourite restos. And for good reason, the wine selection and desserts there are to die for.

My Nanowrimo Update

Vlog: Writing a Novel 2017

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Thanks for dropping by!

Hi there! Welcome to my blog. This is where I talk about the bits and pieces of my life. No edits, no spell-checks and no rewrites.
You can find my more serious stuff on my LinkedIn page and my professional write-ups on www.australianfilipina.com.au or www.financialstandard.com.au.
Other than that, enjoy, have a cuppa, drop me a line.
xx
Michelle